


Agni Blessed

by SeleneMoon



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (kinda), And they don't automatically have the same morals as mortals, Gen, Identity Reveal, Murderous Azula, Possessive Aang (Avatar), Possessive Azula (Avatar), Protective Aang (Avatar), Protective Azula (Avatar), Secret Identity, in a round about way, spirits are weird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27993588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneMoon/pseuds/SeleneMoon
Summary: There was a pink handprint around Zuko’s throat. There was only one firebender who could get close enough to do that to him. And Aang wasn't going to let her have another chance to killherhisbrother.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 226





	Agni Blessed

**Author's Note:**

> It's my birthday! So I decided to post the first part of this two shot plot bunny! Enjoy! (Comments are excellent presents!)

There was a pink handprint around Zuko’s throat. He hadn’t meant for them to see it, but Sokka noticed how he winced when he turned his head and pulled the high collar loose to reveal the burn. Zuko flinched as Katara cursed and reached from him with glowing water coming up to envelop her hand. Katara pulled up short and gently asked if she could heal him. He assented. Katara approached slowly, pretending she didn’t notice him steel himself as she put her hand on his neck. Sokka caught Aang’s eye over Zuko’s shoulder, and Aang knew that he had come to the same conclusion Aang had.

While there were many firebenders who might want to hurt Zuko, there was only one who could get close enough to do this. There was only one who Zuko would _let_ close enough to do this.

Zuko wouldn’t let Aang remove Azula’s bending. He swore she wouldn’t hurt anyone else. It seemed he’d forgotten that included him. Aang had let the minor burns and singed hair slide. It was a mistake. She’d put her hand around his throat and _burned_ _him_. She could have killed him. She could have taken Zuko away from them.

Still holding Sokka’s gaze, Aang gave the slightest nod. Zuko had asked him to give Azula a chance and he had. He refused to lose Zuko to his murderous sister. As new skin replaced the blistered wound under Katara’s cooling touch, Sokka and Aang wordlessly agreed that it was time to remove Azula’s bending before she could harm ~~her~~ _their_ brother anymore than she already had. She’d burned her last chance.

Azula was in a well-guarded mental hospital just outside of town; close enough for Zuko to visit or arrive quickly if there was an emergency. Aang slipped in, weaving between the guards and doctors. Dressed in black, he was doing his best to emulate Zuko’s scary stealth skills. He hid in the rafters, waited for patrols to pass, and stuck to the shadows. He had a few close calls that he could only explain away by a guard’s negligence or them actively choosing not to notice him. He hoped it was the latter, that they knew what he was there to do and quietly approved.

He whisked a pair of keys from a nurse’s desk he passed. Finally he reached Azula’s fire-resistant room. He slipped inside, turning to close the door as quietly as possible.

“Well, well, well, it seems a lost, little spirit has found his way into my cell.” Azula sneered behind him. Aang took a moment to collect himself, to fix a serious look on his face that not even Koh the Face Stealer could break. He turned to face the princess who had filled his body with searing, crackling lightning and just that day nearly taken his brother from him. She was in a fireproof straight jacket spun from fire-rat fur. Her attack on Zuko must have been worse than he’d realized if they had to use that. Aang knew how much their brother hated the restraints.

“Hello, Princess Azula.” He said, woodenly.

“Hello, Avatar.” She replied, her eyes alive with spite. “This isn’t the usual time or protocol for visitors. Are you here to do something naughty?” She tipped her head in a parody of coy flirtation, undermined by the straight jacket and smirk. She wanted to make him uncomfortable and despite himself Aang flushed. He didn’t fully understand the innuendo, but he knew it was there. He ignored it.

“You attacked Zuko.” He said, working to keep his voice even. “Were you trying to kill him?”

“Yes, the stress of the job is getting to him. I wanted to send him to a better place.” She sat back, clearly frustrated. Aang’s fists clenched. “He was never meant for this, my Zuzu.”” She crossed her legs as if this were a casual conversation and not the attempted murder of one of his _best friends_ , his brother in all but blood. “Too many hard calls and sacrifices for someone as soft as him.”

“Zuko is a stronger, better person than you’ll ever be!” Aang hissed. For some reason that sent Azula into peels of laughter.

“I suppose that’s true.” She admitted between giggles. “Depending on how you define ‘person’.” That set her off again.

Aang’s jaw set. “I won’t let you hurt him.” He said, moving towards her.

“Oh, and how do you intend to stop me?” Her bronze eyes narrowed at his approach.

“The same way I stopped your father.” Aang reached out. Azula jerked away.

“You don’t know what you’re doing.” She hissed. “Where’s my brother?”

“At home, recovering.” Aang growled.

“He doesn’t know you’re here.” She glared at him. “He’ll be angry with me if you do this.” Aang ignored the odd statement, placing his hand on her forehead and above her heart.

It was nothing like Ozai. Fire raged around him and for a moment he didn’t understand.

 ** _I warned you._** Aang was blinded, surrounded by searing white, but then the blazing white light dimmed to blue. Aang looked down at the being under his hands and froze.

“Agni.” He whispered. The spirit smiled smugly as they stood. Aang felt their energy push against him. Something deep within him pushed back, feeling the danger he was in.

 ** _So what now, Avatar?_** The spirit asked harshly, leaning into his hands. Aang felt the pressure from the spirit’s energy increase, he grit his teeth shoring up his own energy, drawing on the World Spirit that resided deep within his own soul. **_You’ve started this. Will you destroy me or I you?_**

“I don’t want to destroy _anyone_.” Aang argued. “I just want to protect Zuko.” He swallowed. “What are you doing in Azula?”

 ** _I am Azula._** Agni rumbled. **_You are not the only spirit able to inhabit a mortal form._** Agni spread their suddenly free hands, and Aang realized that though their bodies were battling, they interacting as spirits. **_It took time before a bloodline combined to created a strong enough vessel for me._**

“You’re Azula?! But…” If Azula was actually Agni it changed everything. He had no idea what effect attempting to remove _Agni’s_ bending would have (did it even count as bending when it was a spirit?) Agni was a great spirit. Any action against them could be as disastrous as what Zhao had tried to do in the Northern Water Tribe. But he was trapped. Agni’s energy strained to overtake his own. He didn’t know how to disengage. He couldn’t even remove his hands.

Agni’s energy crackled under his skin. He was losing. He couldn’t be losing. “Why?” He asked, both hoping to distract them and looking for answers. The spirit’s energy diminished enough for Aang to expel the foreign energy, so he continued. “Why did you become human? Directly interfering in the physical world is a huge step and you’ve never really cared before.”

 ** _The world was out of balance._** Agni growled. **_You were gone. No one else was doing anything. Someone had to do something._**

“But Azula tried to take over the world!” Aang shouted. He couldn’t even curl his fingers.

 ** _It was the fastest way to end the war._** Agni shrugged.

“People _died._ ” Aang hissed.

 ** _That’s what people do._** Agni rolled their eyes.

“Don’t you care?!” Aang demanded.

 ** _No. There’s a reason you’re supposed to be handling things._** Agni said sharply. **_Don’t get mad at me for picking up your slack._** Aang flinched.

“Do you- Does _Azula_ know?” He asked, unable to reconcile Azula’s actions with those of a great spirit.

 ** _Not everything. I can’t be completely encompassed._** Agni smirked at Aang. **_Not like you. _**The energy pushed more incessantly against Aang, he felt like he was going to be crushed. He shoved it violently away with a flare of blue Avatar energy. Agni huffed, dissatisfied, but continued. **_I know who I am as a human but I can’t recall most of what I know, so elements of my plan as Azula are instinctive._** They scowled. **_Though if the fucking Mother of Faces would get off my back and stop appearing as my mother that would be great. _**Aang made a mental note to look into that. **_I didn’t even realize it was her until you forced this little confrontation. Petty old hag._**

“So you do care about your mother?” Aang wondered if this was a chance to teach Agni about empathy towards humans.

 ** _No._** Agni snapped defensively. **_I care about Zuzu, maybe Mai and Ty Lee. But that’s all!_**

“Why do you try to kill Zuko if you care about him?!” Aang demanded.

 ** _The same reason you try to keep him alive._** They volleyed back. **_I want him safe and with me._** Blue flames flared, nearly white. **_I made a place for him. Lu Ten’s there already. They will keep each other company until I’m done here._** The flames curled in satisfaction. **_My dear cousin and my blessed brother. Safe and waiting for me._** Aang felt hands on his wrist and Agni brightened again. **_He’s here!_**

Aang stumbled back as Zuko shoved him away. “ _Agni_ , Azula! Are you alright?!” He knelt before her, hands tight on her shoulders.

“Zuko! He tried to kill me!” Azula threw herself bodily into his arms, her own hands restrained by the fire-rat fur straightjacket once more. She caught Aang’s eyes over their brother’s shoulder. She smirked and inhaled deeply, fire gathered behind her teeth, barely two inches from Zuko’s newly healed and exposed throat.

“No!” Aang shouted, shooting to his feet, but Zuko was already in motion. He spun Azula in his arms and her flames scorched the opposite wall.

“You’re fine.” He sighed.

“No! Die!” She shrieked over him. “You can’t handle it! You need to _die_ , Zuko!” She kicked out and Zuko lifted her into the air as sparks shot from her feet, fire-rat fur socks only contained so much. Zuko looked back at Aang, anger mingled with concern.

“Are you okay?” He asked, barely audible over Azula’s screaming. Aang nodded, still in shock over what he had learned.

Doctors and guards restrained her (When had they arrived?). Zuko pulled away and grabbed Aang’s shoulder, guiding him out of the room.

“You’re _mine_ , Zuzu!” She screamed after him. “Do you hear me?! You may live in the World but you belong to the Sun!”

Aang froze and spun. “No! He doesn’t!” He shouted.

“He was mine first!” She snarled.

“I don’t care!” Aang yelled back. “He’s _mine **now!”**_ Azula screamed in incandescent rage as Zuko yanked him out of the room.

“I cannot believe you-” Zuko began, pulling him away, but Aang glommed onto his side, trembling. Zuko’s jaw set, but despite his clear anger he cupped the back of his head with his warm hand, thumb gently stroking the edge of his sky blue tattoo. “You shouldn’t have done that, Aang.” He said quietly, voice tight with the effort to control his rage. “And we _are_ going to talk about it tomorrow.” Aang swallowed, hands tightening on his friend. Zuko allowed the contact, even letting Aang cling to him on the carriage ride back to the Caldera Palace.

When he tried to detach him at the suite of rooms that he shared with his friends, his family, Aang whimpered.

The Fire Lord ended up sleeping on the couch, the World Spirit wrapped desperately around him while the Sun Spirit raged miles away, but far too close for comfort.

**Author's Note:**

> Deleted Line:  
> Azula was a liar. So Agni had to be lying too. They didn’t care about Zuko.
> 
> I really like the idea of protective Aang, we usually see comforting Aang but I think he can be quite protective. 
> 
> I am not sure why Azula vs. Aang (Zuko is MY brother) keeps popping up in my stories but it does! (I think it might be because I view Aang as possessive in a way Toph isn’t. Despite Toph and Azula seeming to have a lot in common, Aang and Azula are the ones I can see fighting _over_ Zuko. While Toph is more likely to fight to _protect_ him.)
> 
> As for what Agni's up to, I kind of view spirits as similar to aliens or robots in that their morals and thoughts don't automatically line up with humans/mortals. 
> 
> Once again, comments are excellent birthday presents!


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